Aberdeen church to be rededicated after £1.5million of work

An historic Aberdeen church, which has recently undergone a £1.5million refurbishment, is being rededicated by the most senior Church of Scotland cleric tomorrow.

Moderator General the Right Rev Russell Barr will lead a special service at Mannofield Church in the city’s west end.

Minister Keith Blackwood described the eight-year project as a labour of love for the congregation at the Victorian place of worship and celebrated the fact the church was a welcoming “hub of care and support for the local community”.

First erected in 1880, the church had extensive work done to the roof, steeple, clock face, brick work and landscaping.

A new welcome foyer at the front with glass doors into the sanctuary has been installed, along with new toilets, office space and a vestry that allows access into other parts of the building.

The pews have been removed to make the sanctuary a more versatile space for holding worship and other activities and a new floor with underfloor heating has also been fitted.

The Audio Visual System has been upgraded, large cupboards have been fitted in the hall and new meeting rooms and a communal kitchen have been established.

In a ddition, Heritage Trail based on the history of the church and local community has also been created.

Rev Barr said: “A huge amount of effort and money has been spent refurbishing the church buildings and making them fit for the congregation’s purpose in the 21st century.

“As well as giving thanks for the work being completed, I am quite sure the service will be a celebration of the congregation’s hopes and dreams for the future.”

Parishioners, who met in the church hall while renovations were underway, raised nearly £1million through a wide variety of funding raising activities.

Further contributions of £250,000 and £180,000 followed from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other trusts.

Mr Blackwood said: “The focus on the buildings has always been not an end in itself, but we recognised that to more effectively build connections with a generation of people missing from the church, we needed to upgrade and modify our buildings in order to create a more welcoming and flexible space.

“I will forever be in gratitude to a congregation that has been relentless in its desire to raise the money to meet the costs of the building project.”